An economic analysis of the nurse practitioner role.

Today's rapidly changing health care environment directly affects nurse practitioners. NPs will be practicing in increasingly competitive situations and with mounting pressures for cost-effective services. Ignoring the issues in the health care marketplace can threaten NP survival. This article will analyze the changes in the health care system, relate the economic effects of these changes to nursing practice, and apply a homeostatic model of interprofessional competitive behavior. As NPs gain perspective on the dynamics of competition and the influence of economics, they will be better able to successfully position themselves in the health care marketplace.